Battery post terminal clamp

ABSTRACT

THE DISCLOSURE IS OF A BATTERY TERMINAL POST CLAMP HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED CLAMPING JAWS WITH STUD MEANS AT THE END FOR SECURING THE TERMINAL TO THE BATTERY POST. THE SHANK PORTION WHICH RECEIVES THE CABLE HAS A TIE BOLT, THREADED AT ONE END, WITH A CABLE RECEIVING HOLE IN THE CENTRAL PORTION ALIGNED WITH A HOLE IN THE SHANK TO RECEIVE THE CABLE. THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE TIE BOLT IS THREADED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A NUT WHICH, WHEN THE END OF THE CABLE IS INSERTED IN THE TIE BOLT HOLE, CAN BE TURNED TO THEREBY JAM MINGLY ENGAGE THE CABLE END FORMING A PHYSICAL AND ELECTRICAL BOND WITH THE BATTERY TERMINAL. THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURE CONTEMPLATES A DIE CASTING IN WHICH THE TIE BOLT ITSELF SERVES AS A CORE MEMBER, AND AN ADDITIONAL CORE IS INSERTED THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE TIE BOLT TO THE END THAT THE TIE BOLT IS PERFECTLY ALIGNED IN THE PRECAST BATTERY TERMINAL, AND IN A SENSE IS PRESS-FITTINGLY ENGAGED THEREIN, SUBJECT TO DISLODGMENT ONLY BY TURNING THE FASTENING NUT TO ENGAGE THE CABLE END.

United States Patent [72] Inventor JohnK.Shannon 6504 43rd Ave.,Kenosha, Wis. 53140 [21] AppLNo. 796,458 [22] Filed Feb.4, 1969 [45]Patented .Iune28, 1971 [54] BATTERY POST TERMINAL CLAMP 3 Claims, 12Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl. 339/230, 339/272 [51] lut.CL ..H01r 11/10, "1101:11/26 [50]FieldofSearch 339/224, 240, 272; 24/125 [56} References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,039,669 5/1936 Tenney 339/23OX 2,043,512 6/1936Hoover.... 339/230X 2,204,269 6/1940 Brown... 339/230 2,324,828 7/1943Danberg.. 329/230X 2,329,998 9/1943 Meyer 24/125 2,531,291 11/1950 Olson339/272X 2,901,725 8/1959 Schuyler 339/272 FOREIGN PATENTS 969,7925/1950 France 339/225 162,577 8/1905 Germany 339/272 PrimaryExaminer-Ian A. Calvert Attorney-Dominik, Knechtel and Godula ABSTRACT:The disclosure is of a battery terminal post clamp having a pair ofopposed clamping jaws with stud means at the end for securing theterminal to the battery post. The shank portion which receives the cablehas a tie bolt, threaded at one end, with a cable receiving hole in thecentral portion aligned with a hole in the shank to receive the cable.The bottom portion of the tie bolt is threaded for engagement with a nutwhich, when the end of the cable is inserted in the tie bolt hole, canbe turned to thereby jammingly engage the cable end forming a physicaland electrical bond with the battery terminal. The method of manufacturecontemplates a die casting in which the tie bolt itself serves as a coremember, and an additional core is inserted through the hole in the tiebolt to the end that the tie bolt is perfectly aligned in the precastbattery tenninal, and in a sense is press-fittingly engaged therein,subject to dislodgment only by turning the fastening nut to engage thecable end.

Patented June 28, 1971 3,588,790

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR John K. Shannon ATTYS.

Patented June 28, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 8

INVENTOR John K. Shannon FIG. 10

ATTYS The present invention relates to a battery terminal post clamp andmethod of making the same. More particularly it relates to a batteryterminal post connector which is especially adapted for rewiring abattery, or special installations, in which the cable must be secured tothe terminal by an adjustment in a repair station, or in the field. Itis additionally useful for original equipment manufacturers wherevarying lengths of cable will be required, and a secure attachment isdesirable.

The art of manufacturing battery terminal post clamps is replete withexamples of terminal connectors for securing the same to a battery post.Several approaches have been taken to securing the cable to theterminal, such as disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 3,377,609, 3,409,865,3,396,362 and 3,397,382.

The above products relate primarily to battery terminal post clampswhich are' not die cast, or if die cast, employ a cable which has a leadalready secured to its end. In those instances where the cable is soldin varying lengths, and will be cut to fit the particular installation,it is highly desirable to provide a positive means for attaching astripped end of a cable to the battery terminal, and more particularlyin which the connection is insulated at its entrance to the batteryterminal, and yet sturdy in providing strong electrical contact in theinterior.

In view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a means for physically and electrically coupling astripped cable' end to a battery terminal which requires only theturning of one nut after the cable has been inserted in the terminalpost clamp.

A further object of the present invention looks to the provision of abattery terminal post clamp with a tie bolt and nut which areinexpensive to mold, and yet insure a high degree of flexibility in thewiring of a vehicle or other battery installation in the field.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide aconstruction for a battery terminal post clamp with a single nut forsecuring the cable therein in which the nut is positioned in an offsetrelationship to the shank which receives the cable, and thereby avoidsan irregular exposed surface which could become contaminated, orotherwise require additional clearance. A related advantage to placingthe nut in a horizontal silhouette relating to the battery terminal postclamp stems from the problem of positioning a cap or cover over thesame, which is not interfered with by positioning the nut in accordancewith the construction exemplary of the present invention.

In die casting a battery terminal post clamp, there is always a problem,particularly with a tie bolt which is at a transverse axis of thereceiving bore for the cable, to provide for perfect alignment. Oneaspect of the present invention is to provide a method for die castingthe tie bolt, which is conventionally formed as a screw machine product,directly into the battery terminal post clamp using the same as a corefor the tie bolt hole, and simultaneously receiving the core for thecable holder shaft to the end that perfect alignment is insured for thecable. A related object of the method of forming the battery terminalpost clamp results from the secured relationship for shipping and use bythe customer of the tie bolt within the battery terminal post clamp, theonly loose part being a conventional nut which, if lost, can be replacedby other nuts available at the repair station or point of use.

Further objects of the present invention will become apparent as thefollowing description of an illustrative embodiment proceeds, inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective partially exploded view of the illustrativebattery post terminal clamp showing the relationship between the jawbolt and jaw nut with the tie bolt nut and tie bolt in place secured tothe cable.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the battery post terminalclamp shown in FIG. 1 taken along section line 2-2 of FIG. 3, showingthe jamming engagement of the cable by the tie bolt.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the battery post terminal clamp.

FIG. 4 is a view of the terminal post casting taken from the sameposition as FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the tie bolt,

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the tie bolt.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation in reduced scale illustrating the assembledrelationship between the battery post terminal clamp and a battery.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the lower half of the battery post terminalclamp mold.

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view of the mold taken along section9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is taken from the same section as FIG. 9 showing the mold afterthe metal has been injected into the mold.

FIG. 11 is a section of the cast battery terminal clamp taken alongsection 9-9 of FIG. 10 diagrammatically showing the relationship withthe cable.

FIG. 12 is a subsequent showing of the structure of FIG. 11 after thecable is secured.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the battery post terminal clamp 10 terminatesat one end in a pair of opposed jaws 11, having a conventional batterypost bore 12. It is contemplated that in assembled relationship, asshown in FIG. 7, the terminal post clamp 10 is secured to the batteryterminal post 32 which is positioned atop the battery 31 by means of ajaw bolt 34 and a jaw nut 35 which is tightened thereagainst to bringthe two jaws 11 in clamping engagement with the battery terminal post32. The opposed crescent-shaped teeth 16 permit sufficient deflection ofthe jaws 11 when secured by means of the jaw bolt 34 and jaw nut 35 tophysically and electrically securely engage the battery post terminals32 to be abuttingly engaged by the interior portions of the jaw bolt 34and jaw nut 35. Opposed jaw bores 14 are provided to receive the jawbolt 34 and jaw nut 35 and complete the engagement.

The invention concerns itself more particularly with the offset tie boltshank 15 which extends oppositely from the battery post clamping jawsII. It is offset upwardly to provide relief for the tie bolt nut 30which, when secured to the tie bolt 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2,jammingly engages the cable core 42. The specific configuration of anillustrative tie bolt 20 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 where it will be seenthat the tie bolt may be formed by conventional screw machine techniquesfrom a rod, one commercial embodiment contemplating athirteen-sixteenth-inch diameter rod, %-inch long with a A- inch cablehole 21 provided therein. Tie bolt threads 25 are provided at the lowerportion of the tie bolt 20 to receive the threaded interior bore of thetie bolt nut 30.

In positioning the cable 40 within the terminal post clamp 10, the stepsare best illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. There it will be seen that thecable 40 has an insulating portion 41 which is stripped away from thecable core 42 to provide a stripped end portion 43. The stripped endportion 43 is of sufficient length to fit almost to the dead end of theshank cable bore 22 in the offset shank 15 of the terminal post clamp10. After the end of the cable 40 has been prepared in accordance withthe configuration shown in FIG. 11, the stripped end 43 is inserted intothe shank cable bore 22, the tie bolt nut then engaged with the tie boltthreads 25 and tightened until a deformed section 44 appears in thestripped end 43, leaving a locking end 45 at the far end of the strippedend 43. It will be further observed that an insulating ring or shoulder24 has been provided at the far end of the offset shank 15 to receivethe end of the insulation 41, thereby providing an insulated connectionbetween the cable 40 and the terminal post clamp 10. As will be observedin FIG. 7, there is sufficient clearance provided between the offsetshank l5 and the battery 31 so that a conventional end wrench mayreadily engage the tie bolt nut 30 to secure the clamp 10 to a cable,even with the clamp secured to a battery post 32. After the cable hasbeen secured to the terminal post clamp 10, the terminal post clamp 10is then secured to the battery terminal post 32 by the threaded clampingengagement of the jaws 11 by the jaw bolt 34 and jaw nut 35. Theconnection is physically secured, electrically intimate, and resistsdislodgement. It will be readily appreciated that varying lengths ofcable 40 may be easily stripped and secured to the terminal post clampas hereinabove described.

Another aspect of the invention relates to the method of forming thebattery post terminal clamp 10 with the tie bolt 20 serving as a portionof the mold, to the end that the tie bolt 20 has a metallic castinterface between its peripheral cylindrical surface and the tie boltbore 23, in the offset shank 15. As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 8 10,a mold 26 is provided for die casting the battery terminal post clamp 10in which the tie bolt 20 is secured within the mold and actually formsthe core for providing the configuration of the tie bolt bore 23. A sidecore 28 is provided to nestingly engage the cable hole 21 of the tiebolt 20, and extends therethrough to complete the coring to provide forthe shape of the shank cable bore 22 and the insulation ring 24. Athread shield 27 in the form ofa collar in the mold prevents moltenmetal from fouling the tie bolt threads 25 during casting.

The mold is filled in the conventional manner, and thereafter the coresfor the post bore 12, jaw bore 14, and the core 28 which forms the shankcable bore 22 are removed. Thereafter the configuration, in crosssection, is exactly as shown in FIG. 11 with the tie bolt 20 case inplace in the shank of the battery post clamp 10. The distinct advantageof this method of formation is that the casting of the tie bolt in placewithin the shank 15 prevents its accidental dislodgement, and inshipping a kit, only the tie bolt nut 30 need be a loose part.

In positioning the terminal post clamp 10 for securement to the cable 40as illustrated in FIGS. 11-12, the alignment between the cable hole 21of the tie bolt 20 and the stripped end 43 of the cable 40 is insured tobe accurate since it is cast in place. Thus an elimination of a furtherpossible problem when jammingly engaging the stripped end 43 of thecable 40 is eliminated. After the cable 40 is secured within the tiebolt 20 and offset shank 15 when the battery terminal post clamp 10 hasthe tie bolt cast in place, the same is secured to the battery terminalpost 32 in the manner described relating to FIG.

in review it will be seen that a tenninal post clamp 10 and tie bolt 20have been described which clampingly engage the cable 40 with a neat,clean silhouette in good insulating engagement, sound physicalengagement which prevents dislodgement, and with an intimate electricalcontact between the elements ofthe cable 40 and the battery terminalpost 32.

Additionally, a method has been disclosed of fabricating the terminalpost clamp 10 with a tie bolt 20 in place, the tie bolt itself servingas a portion of the mold and thereafter remaining in intimate precastcontact with the shank 15 until such time as the same is dislodged byuse, or the user otherwise wishes to remove the tie bolt 20 with the tiebolt nut 30.

While the invention has been described in connection with specificembodiments and applications, no intention to restrict the invention tothe examples shown is contemplated, but rather to include within theinvention all of the subject matter defined by the spirit as well as theletter ofthe annexed claims.

lclaim:

l. A clamp and tie bolt comprising, in combination: clamp having, ashank extending therefrom, a tie bolt bore formed in said shankextending transversely to the long axis thereof, a cable receiving boreextending through said shank so as to intersect said tie bolt bore, atie bolt having a body portion, a transverse cable receiving bore at amid portion thereof and threaded means at the lower portion thereofproportioned to receive a nut, and a threaded nut proportioned to matewith said threaded means at the lower portion of said tie bolt, said tiebolt and said tie bolt bore being proportioned such that said tie boltis in sufficiently tight engagement within said tie bolt bore to preventaccidental dislodgement and with said cable receiving bore in said tiebolt axially aligned with said cable receiving bore extending throughsaid shank and with said threaded means at the lower end of said tiebolt extending from said shank so as to permit said threaded nut to bethreadmgly affixed thereon, whereby the stripped end portion of a cablecan be inserted through the aligned cable receiving bores in said shankand said tie bolt and jammingly engaged and retained within said shankby turning the nut on the threaded means at the lower portion ofthe tiebolt to move the tie bolt transversely of the cable receiving bore inthe shank.

2. The clamp and tie bolt of claim 1, wherein said tie bolt is fixedlysecured within said tie bolt bore by casting said clamp about said tiebolt.

3. The clamp and tie bolt of claim 2, wherein said shank has an enlargeddiameter bore for accommodating the insulated portion of the cableaffixed within said cable receiving bore.

